A local motorcycle group is pushing for changes, demanding safer road conditions after a string of serious crashes involving motorcyclists.
The latest crashes both happened Friday evening, one at the intersection of Poole Road and New Hope Road in Raleigh and another on Robeson Street in Fayetteville.
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Dem 2's, an open group for motorcyclists in the Raleigh and Durham areas gathered for a meet-up and to send a clear message.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” said Jack Meeshly, the event organizer. “Being at the hospital once a month or every couple of weeks, seeing a motorcyclist go down.”
For riders like Meeshly, every time they take to the streets, they’re aware of the risks.
Their meet-ups are social and educational in nature.
"We like to do safety training, safety etiquette, we do motorcycle medical training, which is there to help save lives," he said.
Their call to action comes after a series of crashes across the Triangle in recent weeks:
- Earlier this week, Jeramy Champion was seriously injured after being hit by a dump truck on New Bern Avenue.
- In May, multiple people were hurt in a crash involving a motorcycle and car on U.S. Highway 70 in Clayton.
- Also in May, Ben Barber was killed when a driver hit him in Chapel Hill.
His wife, Cameron Barber, told WRAL by phone that her husband was a safe and experienced rider.
“Ben was not speeding, he was not an unsafe motorcycle driver, he just enjoyed it,” she said. “It’s just the epitome of tragedy.”
The push for safer roads includes pleas for less distracted driving and more awareness from those behind the wheel.
“Every time you look at your mirror, look around you,” Meeshly said. “Think there is a motorcyclist behind you or around you in some capacity.”
Advocates are also lobbying lawmakers to legalize lane splitting, a practice that allows motorcyclists to ride between two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
It's a move they believe could help prevent future crashes.